Dallas Stars: where things stand

The Dallas Stars have opened the 2026–27 regular season with two narrow defeats, leaving them 0–2 ahead of Monday’s home meeting with the San Jose Sharks. Dallas began with a 4–0 loss to the St. Louis Blues, ending a run of six consecutive season-opening victories, then followed with a more competitive 2–1 defeat to the Nashville Predators. Miro Heiskanen supplied the only goal in Nashville, while Casey DeSmith stopped 24 shots, but the Stars could not overcome two first-period power-play goals by the Predators.

The early results have exposed familiar priorities for a team regarded as a Stanley Cup contender: creating more offense, improving special-teams execution, and converting strong stretches into goals. The defensive foundation remains encouraging; Dallas allowed only two goals in Nashville after surrendering four in the opener, and the club ranked among the league’s best defensively last season. Jason Robertson remains a central offensive driver after leading the team with 96 points in 2025–26, while Miro Heiskanen has already provided an important contribution from the blue line.

The start has also been complicated by Matt Duchene’s lower-body injury and placement on long-term injured reserve, requiring him to miss at least 10 games and 24 calendar days. With no time to dwell on the opening losses, Dallas returns home October 5 seeking its first win against San Jose.

The Dallas Stars entered the 2026–27 regular season with high expectations but opened on a jarring note, falling 4–0 at home to the St. Louis Blues. The defeat ended Dallas’s six-game winning streak in season openers and marked the franchise’s first shutout in a home opener since moving to Dallas before the 1993–94 season. The Stars generated 25 shots but could not solve St. Louis goaltender Joel Hofer, while their own attack never established sustained pressure.

The early result also underscored the importance of roster health. Tyler Seguin returned to regular-season action after recovering from surgery for a torn right ACL, a significant boost for an established forward group featuring Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Wyatt Johnston. Matt Duchene, however, was placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, removing another experienced contributor from the lineup. Jake Oettinger was available for the opener, preserving stability in net after a season in which defensive structure and goaltending remain central to Dallas’s ambitions.

Now 0–1, the Stars face their only upcoming game: a road matchup with the Nashville Predators on October 3. Nashville also opened 0–1, making the contest an immediate opportunity for Dallas to reset offensively, tighten its defensive execution, and prevent one disappointing opener from defining the season’s direction.

The Dallas Stars enter the 2026–27 NHL season with a reset opportunity after an unusually long offseason. Their 2025–26 campaign ended in the first playoff round, halting a run of three consecutive Western Conference finals appearances, and the club is determined to turn that disappointment into another deep postseason push. Dallas went undefeated in preseason and opens the regular season at home against the St. Louis Blues on October 2.

The Stars’ foundation remains their depth and balance. Jason Robertson returns after leading the team with 45 goals and 96 points last season, while Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz headline a dangerous forward group. Tyler Seguin is healthy enough to return after a torn ACL ended his previous season, though head coach Glen Gulutzan cautions that Seguin is not yet at full stride and should improve progressively. Matt Duchene begins the season on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, creating an early challenge for the lineup’s center depth.

Defensively, Dallas is built around Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell and Tyler Myers. Jake Oettinger remains the expected starter, supported by Casey DeSmith. Gulutzan begins his second season of this stint behind the bench, emphasizing tactical refinement and mentality after last season’s early exit. With home-ice expectations high, the opener against St. Louis offers the first test of whether Dallas can convert its talent, health and renewed focus into a stronger campaign.

The Dallas Stars begin the 2026–27 NHL season as a Western Conference favorite, though the optimism is tempered by last season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit. Dallas retained most of the group that produced the league’s second-best power play and ranked among the NHL’s top 10 teams in goals per game, returning 20 players from last year’s roster. The club’s depth remains a major strength, with nine returning players having scored at least 10 goals, while Jake Oettinger continues to anchor a goaltending tandem strengthened by Casey DeSmith’s new two-year contract extension.

The Stars nevertheless enter the season with unresolved questions. Their offseason was largely devoted to preserving the existing core rather than adding significant scoring, and analysts remain concerned about five-on-five offense after the departure of a 20-goal scorer. Jason Robertson’s one-year contract provides short-term certainty but leaves longer-term questions, while Thomas Harley’s name surfaced in trade discussions during the offseason. Jamie Benn also considered retirement before returning.

The immediate concern is Matt Duchene, who was placed on injured reserve after a setback involving a lower-body injury suffered in training camp. Head coach Glen Gulutzan expects Dallas to compensate by dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen. The Stars open their season at home against the St. Louis Blues on October 2, beginning another campaign shaped by strong expectations, Central Division competition, and the pressure to turn regular-season quality into a deeper playoff run.

The Dallas Stars are deep into training camp with a mostly settled NHL core, but the final preseason stretch has still featured real competition for jobs, especially among younger forwards, defense depth, and the backup goaltending picture. Their latest exhibition work has also shown the club trying out combinations around its stars while easing players back from injury and trimming the camp roster toward the opening-night group.

The biggest recent story has been the Stars’ strong preseason form, highlighted by a 2-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild in which Rémi Poirier was perfect in net and Matthew Seminoff and Esa Lindell scored. That game reinforced how seriously Dallas is treating these dress rehearsals: the team has looked organized, defensively sharp, and patient with puck support, even as coaches continue sorting out who fits best in the bottom six and on the blue line. Dallas has also been making camp cuts, including a notable wave of assignments that sent Emil Hemming to the AHL side and reduced the roster to a more manageable group. The Stars enter their Sept. 25 preseason road game against Minnesota still evaluating depth options, but with their top group appearing close to ready and their internal competition now centered on the last available spots.

The Dallas Stars are in the thick of preseason evaluation, with Glen Gulutzan using exhibition games to sort through lineup chemistry, depth roles, and the final edges of the roster before the regular season opens. Recent reporting shows the club mixing established core players with prospects and AHL-callup types, while also managing several health watch items and giving injured players controlled ramp-ups rather than forcing anything in September.

One notable storyline is in goal: Jake Oettinger is expected to handle a heavy preseason workload, while Arno Tiefensee has been recalled for depth and Rémi Poirier has also drawn into the exhibition mix. Up front, the Stars have been testing combinations that include Jamie Benn, Sam Steel, Radek Faksa, Joel Kiviranta, Artem Shlaine, Emil Hemming, Oskar Bäck, and Arttu Hyry, giving younger forwards a chance to show they can keep pace against NHL competition. On the blue line, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Lian Bichsel, Tyler Myers, and Kyle Capobianco have been part of the look, with camp also serving as a proving ground for fringe defenders and prospects. Tyler Seguin’s return from ACL surgery remains a major subplot, and Matt Duchene and Colin Blackwell have been handled carefully as the Stars get ready for their next preseason game Friday on the road against Minnesota.

The Dallas Stars are in the middle of a busy preseason camp built around sorting out the final layers of a deep roster rather than worrying about results. Glen Gulutzan has been mixing NHL regulars with prospects and fringe players, and the club has already started trimming the camp by sending juniors back, releasing PTOs, and making the first wave of assignments while trying to keep enough bodies available for the exhibition schedule.

The biggest immediate storyline is health and load management. Matt Duchene has been held out as a precaution, and Colin Blackwell is dealing with a lower-body issue that has kept him out of recent action. Cameron Hughes also left a preseason game with an upper-body injury, adding to a camp that has already tested Dallas’ depth. Even so, the team still has high-end talent getting reps, with players like Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger all part of the mix as the staff evaluates combinations.

There is also clear pressure on the roster bubble because of the salary-cap crunch. Players such as Kyle Capobianco, Kyle Burroughs, Arttu Hyry, and others are fighting for spots or early-season roles, while the Stars continue to give younger players a look. With the Minnesota Wild coming to Dallas for the next preseason game, the focus remains on sorting the lineup and building toward opening night.

The Dallas Stars enter preseason with a camp shaped by veteran calibration and a few open questions rather than big structural uncertainty. Their latest exhibition look featured many of the club’s regulars, including Jake Oettinger, Casey DeSmith, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Nils Lundkvist, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, and Jamie Benn, as the staff continued sorting through combinations and re-establishing rhythm after the offseason. Recent camp reporting also pointed to Kyle Capobianco getting a look on defense, while younger players such as Justin Hryckowian and Trey Taylor have used exhibition minutes to press for attention.

There are still injury and maintenance watch items around camp. Arno Tiefensee was hurt at morning skate and did not dress in one recent preseason game, Colin Blackwell was briefly slowed by an injury, Matt Duchene has been held out for maintenance, and Cameron Hughes left early after taking a hit. That has created more opportunities for depth forwards and prospects to see NHL-level reps, while the coaching staff evaluates how the bottom of the roster is taking shape.

The next test is the preseason game at home against the Minnesota Wild on September 23, another chance to keep refining pairings, special teams looks, and lineup depth before the real games begin.

The Stars enter this preseason looking like a team still sorting out details rather than a club chasing answers from scratch. Their opener against the Blues already offered a useful snapshot: Dallas leaned on organized structure, steady goaltending, and timely finishing in a 2-1 exhibition win, while the bigger story was how the coaching staff used the night to evaluate camp bodies, test combinations, and see which younger players could handle NHL pace. The focus now is less on results than on lineup clarity, with camp minutes going to prospects, depth forwards, and defensemen competing for roles or reassignment.

At the top of the roster, Dallas remains built around its core, but training camp is still important for figuring out how that core will be supported. The club’s depth mix includes several forwards and defenders who can help if injuries strike, and the early preseason schedule is giving management a chance to compare chemistry across multiple looks. The next step is another exhibition against the Blues in Dallas, a chance to keep sorting through competition without any standings pressure.

There is also a developmental feel around camp, with younger players and recent additions trying to force their way into the conversation while veterans settle back in. For Dallas, this part of September is about sharpening details, protecting health, and identifying who is ready when the real games arrive.

The Dallas Stars have entered the preseason with a camp that is less about opening-night certainty than about sorting depth, health, and the bottom of the lineup. They already opened exhibition play with a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, using that game to test younger forwards and defensemen while getting looks at special-teams and goalie rotation behind Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith. Reports from the weekend pointed to Arttu Hyry scoring the first goal of Dallas’ preseason, with Jack Becker also finding the net and Remi Poirier and Brandon Halverson sharing the crease as the club evaluated its goaltending depth.

The roster picture still looks crowded, especially among forwards and the back end, where players such as Cameron Hughes, Emil Hemming, Matthew Seminoff, Artem Shlaine, Christian Fitzgerald, Justin Ertel, Dylan Hryckowian, Jack Anderson, Kyle Capobianco, Kyle Burroughs, and Trey Taylor have been getting chances to show they can handle NHL pace. The Stars also appear to be balancing that evaluation with injury management, since Colin Blackwell, Tristan Bertucci, and Jaxon Fuder were listed out early in camp. With St. Louis coming back to Dallas on September 21, the focus stays on combinations, competitiveness, and who can force a final decision before the roster trims tighten.

The Dallas Stars enter their preseason opener in St. Louis with much of the conversation centered on camp battles, health updates, and how quickly the group can settle into roles around an already established core. Tyler Seguin’s return to full contact is one of the biggest storylines, with management indicating there is no rigid timeline for his preseason debut and that his availability will be guided by how he feels day to day. Radek Faksa is also considered ready, while the only noted injury concerns around camp are Tristan Bertucci and Jaxon Fuder, who were both hurt in a recent prospect event, plus Cameron Schmidt, who missed action with the flu.

The Stars are also using these exhibition games to evaluate younger skaters and depth options, particularly on defense and at the bottom of the forward group. That makes the early lineup decisions meaningful for players trying to prove they belong, even if the results themselves do not count. With Jake Oettinger and the veteran spine of the roster already set, the most interesting questions are which prospects can force their way into the conversation, which depth forwards can hold their spots, and how the coaches blend returning veterans with fresh looks. Tonight in St. Louis is the first live test of that mix.

The Dallas Stars open camp with a familiar mix of high expectations and unsettled details, and the biggest storyline is that key core players Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley are back in the fold after offseason trade possibilities never materialized. That leaves the club trying to turn a tense summer into a productive start, with head coach Pete DeBoer’s camp focused on chemistry, conditioning, and sorting out roles rather than any standings chase.

Tyler Seguin is another central figure, returning to full camp contact after ACL surgery but still uncertain for the start of the season, which makes his workload and recovery one of the first major watch points. Jamie Benn is also back for another year and has spoken about not being satisfied with last season, while Jake Oettinger has framed camp around championship-level standards rather than gradual buildup.

With the preseason opener against the St. Louis Blues on September 19, the Stars are using these early exhibition games to test combinations, especially among their deep forward group and defense corps. That depth gives camp a competitive edge, with younger players and fringe roster hopefuls pushing for minutes while veterans try to settle into roles before the regular season begins.